World Cup 1930 World Cup > Past Tournaments > 1930 Uruguay >Overview FIFA president Jules Rimet, after whom the first, solid gold, World Cup trophy was named, was the principle driving force behind the staging of the inaugural competition. Just thirteen nations were to participate, a number achieved only after considerable arm twisting from Rimet. Five nations had applied for the honour of staging the first in the series, the four unsuccessful European suitors promptly refusing to travel to a resplendent Uruguay in distant Latin America. At one stage it looked as if no European team would come; amongst the refusniks were England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Spain, Portugal, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany, Austria and Hungary. The four British nations were unhappy at the blurring of the boundaries between amateur and professional, a difficulty that was reflected in their non-participation in the football side of the Olympic movement as well as the World Cup. The Soviet Union was chafing under the diplomatic isolation that had been its lot since the Bolshevik coup of November 1917.

Pressure from the Latin American nations, coupled with the persuasive powers of the lawyer Rimet, eventually cajoled four entries from Europe: Rimet’s own nation France, Belgium, Yugoslavia and Rumania. Given the acrimony and the difficult economic conditions prevailing after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, this was a better turnout than it might appear. From the Americas were to come the more formidable contestants: Uruguay herself, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay and the United States. Only France amongst the Europeans proving able to distinguish herself in such company. Australasia at the time had been largely colonised by the European powers and the USA. China was in the grip of civil strife exacerbated by foreign intervention. India was the Jewel in the British Crown, not even having Dominion Status within the Empire. Australia and New Zealand preferred other sports such as cricket and rugby. The game was hardly played in independent states such as Japan and Siam (modern Thailand). Turkey was in the midst of reforms under the leadership of Kemal Ataturk, football scarcely rating a mention. Thus there was not one representative from earth’s largest continent.

Africa, largely ruled by the British and the French, with a a Belgium presence in the Congo, only had two substantially independent states: Abyssinia (modern day Ethiopia) and the British Dominion of South Africa. Neither played football in a meaningful way. Thus the first World Cup could hardly be said to have represented the World, or even the world of football. On 13 July, after a three week trip across the Atlantic, the French team trooped out to play Mexico, triumphing by four goals to one. The first ever goal was scored by Lucient Laurent of France. Although, unlike in subsequent World Cups, there had been no qualifying competition, one principle was established for the future: the groups were divided so as to try and achieve as much geographical diversity as possible. The groups were: There were four teams from Europe, seven from South America, one from Central America and one from North America. A radically different composition from more modern World Cups! Given that Uruguay, Argentina, Yugoslavia and the USA, three of them seeds, were to make it to the semi-finals, the seeding was a qualified success. The winner of each group would qualify for the semi-finals.

Thus, unlike today’s competitions, there was no reprieve for those who came second in their group. The victorious semi-finalists would contest what would eventually become known as the Rimet Cup, there would be no third place play-off. The group competitions only threw up one major surprise, with the unfancied Yugoslavs (Yugoslavia had come into existence as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, it comprised modern day Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia and Montenegro) coming ahead of both Brazil and Bolivia. The USA's Bert Patenaude scored the first hat-trick in World Cup history, scoring all the goals in a three-nil win over Paraguay. Unfortunately, many of the games were marred by violent conduct. The tone was set by the first match of the tournament between France and Mexico, the French goalkeeper had to limp off after ten minutes, as he had been kicked in the jaw by one of his opponents. The semi-finals emphatically justified the seeding, Uruguay and Argentina crushed their opponents Yugoslavia and the USA by the identical score line of 6-1.

SEMI-FINALS (half time scores in brackets) Argentina - USA 6:1 (1:0) Uruguay - Yugoslavia 6:1 (3:1) The first ever World Cup Final was played at the Centenario Stadium, Montevideo on July 30th. However, the game was preceded by the seemingly pointless dispute as to who should provide the match ball. FIFA stepped in with the Solomon-like decision to split the disputed baby: Argentina provided the ball for the first half, Uruguay provided one for the second. Uruguay, which was celebrating a centenary of independence from Spanish rule, and had twice triumphed at the Olympics in football, eventually won 4-2, but not before enduring the trauma of a half time 1-2 deficit after a questionable goal from Stabile. Captained by Jose Nasazzi the Uruguayans proved a much more durable team, Pedro Ceo scoring a memorable equaliser, Iriarte then put the hosts ahead, a position cemented by a further goal from Castro (who played under the handicap of an arm being partially missing).

Thus the Argentines, led by “Nalo” Ferreira, who had played one more game than their Uruguayan hosts, were unable to obtain revenge for their defeat at the hands of Uruguay in the 1928 Olympic final. Riots followed in Argentina, an ugly obverse side of the coin to the wild celebrations in Montevideo and elsewhere in Uruguay. The 31 July 1930 was a national holiday for the victors. © 2006 World Cup Years Ltd. World Cup History: Uruguay 1930 World Cup History: Uruguay 1930 World Cup History: Uruguay 1930 By Vision Reporter A A A Fill in your Name and Email Address to receive a Free Newsletter Held in July, shortly after the Wall Street Crash, the first finals in 1930 took place entirely in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo. Held in July, shortly after the Wall Street Crash, the first finals in 1930 took place entirely in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo. Because of travel difficulties, just 13 nations took part and only four from Europe — France, Belgium, Romania and Yugoslavia.

All except Yugoslavia took the liner Conte Verde at Villefranche-sur-Mer in France for the two week voyage across the Atlantic, training on the boat on the way. The 13 competitors were split into four groups with the winners contesting the semi-finals. Yugoslavia did the best of the Europeans nations by reaching the last four where they were beaten 6-1 by Uruguay. In the other semi-final Argentina over- hwhelmed the United States by an identical scoreline. Uruguay, backed by a partisan crowd of 93,000 in the Centenario Stadium, beat the Argentines 4-2 in the final. Uruguay declared a public holiday, but in Buenos Aires hostile fans attacked the Uruguayan embassy. Final statistics Uruguay 4 Argentina 2 1930 legend Pedro CEA He played in Uruguayan teams that won the 1924 and 1928 Olympic Games tournaments and the first World Cup in 1930. He became known as the ‘Olympic equaliser’ by scoring equalising goals every time Uruguay were behind in these three tour- naments.

Scored a hat-trick in the 1930 World Cup semi-final 6-1 win over Yugoslavia and the second, equalising goal against Argentina in the final. One of the few great inside-lefts who was not left-footed. 1930 World Cup scorers Ivan Beck (YUG) 3 1930 World Cup trivia Italy, Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Uruguay applied to stage the first World Cup. Uruguay won the decision, not least because they offered to pay the expenses of the competing countries. Teams from Great Britain could not be consid- ered because they were not members of FIFA. They did not enter the competition until 1950. The earlier matches were played on local club grounds as the main Centenario Stadium was still unfinished. This was not used until the final stages. The first World Cup match France beat Mexico 4-1. Lucien Laurent had the distinction of scoring the first World Cup goal. The first player to be sent off in the tournament was Peru captain Mario de las Casas in a group match against Romania. Peru were beaten 3-1 before the lowest ever World Cup crowd of just 300 spectators.

Argentina were the first nation to score six goals when they beat Mexico 6-3. Guillermo Stabile was the first player to score a hat- trick. 1930 World Cup winning squad Uruguay Goalkeepers: Enrique Ballesteros, Miguel Capuccini Defenders: Ernesto Mascheroni, Jose Nasazzi (capt), Domingo Tejera Midfield: Jose Leandro Andrade, Fernandez Lorenzo, Alvaro Gestido Forwards: Peregrino Anselmo, Hector Castro, Pedro Cea, Pablo Dorado, Santos Iriarte, Pedro Petrone, Hector Scarone, Santos Urdinara RELATED ARTICLES First World Cup - Jul 13, 1930 - HISTORY.com First World Cup Publisher A+E Networks On July 13, 1930, France defeats Mexico 4-1 and the United States defeats Belgium 3-0 in the first-ever World Cup football matches, played simultaneously in host city Montevideo, Uruguay. The World Cup has since become the world’s most watched sporting event.

After football (soccer, to Americans) was dropped from the program for the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, FIFA President Jules Rimet helped to organize an international tournament in 1930. Much to the dismay of European footballers, Uruguay, winner of back-to-back gold medals at the 1924 Paris Olympics and 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, was chosen to host the inaugural World Cup. Due to depression in Europe, many European players, afraid their day jobs would not exist when they returned, were either unable or unwilling to attend the tournament. As a result, some of the most accomplished European teams, including three-time Olympic gold medalist England and football enthusiasts Italy, Spain, Germany and Holland did not make an appearance at the first World Cup. However, when Uruguay agreed to help pay traveling expenses, Rimet was able to convince Belgium, France, Romania and Yugoslavia to make the trip. In Romania, King Carol selected the team members himself, gave them a three-month vacation from their jobs and guaranteed the players would be employed when they returned. Going into the tournament, Uruguay and Argentina were the overwhelming favorites, while France and the United States also fielded competitive sides.

In the first round, France’s Lucien Laurent scored the first-ever World Cup goal. In its second game, France lost to Argentina 1-0 amid controversy over the referees ending the game six minutes early. Once the problem was discovered, the referees had to bring the Argentine players back onto the field to play the final minutes. After beating Belgium, the United States beat Paraguay to set up a semi-final match with Argentina, which they lost 6-1. Still, the semi-final placement was the best U.S. World Cup finish to date. In the first World Cup final, held on July 30, 1930, 93,000 spectators looked on as Uruguay defeated Argentina 4–2 in a rematch of the 1928 Olympic gold medal game. Uruguay went on to win its second World Cup in 1950 with a 2-1 win over Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. More on This Topic Planet World Cup - 1930 - Final Botasso, Della Torre, Paternoster, J.Evaristo, Monti, Suarez, Peucelle, Varallo, Stabile, Ferreira, M.Evaristo.

Referee: Jean Langenus (Belgium) Attendance: 93.000 Soccer history was made at the Estadio Centenario on Wednesday July 30th 1930, when host nation Uruguay and South American neighbours, Argentina met in the final of the very first World Cup. Uruguay left out Anselmo and replaced him with the one-armed (!?) Castro at center forward. José Nasazzi and Manuel Ferreira captained the two sides, and the match was refereed by the experienced Jean Langenus from Belgium. The opening minutes saw the two teams "discovering" eachother, but after 12 minutes, the home side took the lead when Pablo Dorado shot through the legs of goalkeeper Botasso. Eight minutes later, the scores were level when Carlos Peucelle picked up a pass from Varallo and beat goalkeeper Ballesteros with a powerful shot. Argentina took the lead in the 37th minute after Stábile scored, but it was to be one of the game's most controversial incidents.

When he collected the ball, Stábile looked offside - the Uruguayan captain Nsazzi later agreed with that - but despite appeals to the referee, Langenus would not change his mind and the goal stood. In the second half Uruguay got back into the game when Pedro Cea scored after 57 minutes. At 2-2 both teams had chances to score a decisive goal. The Argentinians with attacking trio, Peucelle, Evaristo and Stábile could spoil the party for the hosts. But Uruguay eased any concern in the 68th minute when Santos Iriarte scored a cracking goal from more than 25 yards. The stadium exploded in celebrations. It was a goal worth winning any World Cup final. Topscorer Stábile almost spoiled the party when hitting the crossbar a few minutes later, but then that crucial fourth goal came for the hosts. It was scored in the very last minute by Castro, who headed home a Dorado cross. The man who accidently lost parts of his left arm suddenly became a national hero. He had scored Uruguay's only goal in their opening match against Peru, but was then dropped. Now he was recalled and scored the goal that secured Uruguay the World Cup.

The final whistle went and Uruguay could celebrate, and so they did! People danced in the streets of Montevideo all night and the next days. The day after the final was actually declared a national holiday. 1930 World Cup Ball The First World Cup Soccer Ball 1930 World Cup Soccer Ball of "Tiento" One of the two soccer balls used in the first 1930 World Cup final between Argentina and Uruguay is shown above. This leather football was used in the final match and taken by an Uruguayan team player. It may have even played a part in the outcome of the first world cup in 1930. Argentina and Uruguay could not agree on which ball to use. So they decided to use an Argentinean ball the first half and a ball supplied by Uruguay the second half. As it turned out, Argentina was ahead at halftime 2-1. However; Uruguay came back to win the match in the second half 4-2 using their ball! Uruguay hosted the first world cup tournament in 1930. Uruguay 1930 World Cup Team Picture Uruguay won the first world cup tournament in 1930.

The ball shown in the picture above is in much better shape than the one shown above! The final between the South American rivals lived up to billing. Each side held the lead for stretches in the first half, but Uruguayan striker Pedro Cea equalized at 2-2, 12 minutes into the second half. Victoriano Santos Iriarte scored the game-winner for Uruguay in the 68th minute, and Hector Castroï¿½s strike in injury time sealed the victory, setting the final score at 4-2 in favor of Uruguay. The 1930 World Cup United States Soccer Team Back Row: Left to Right: Bob Millar (Coach), Jimmy Gallagher, Alexander Wood, Jimmy Douglas, George Moorhouse, Ralph Tracy, Andy Auld, Jack Coll (Physician). Front Row: Left to Right: Jim Brown, Billy Gonsalves, Bert Patenaude, Tom Florie, Bart McGhee. The 1930 World Cup United States soccer team qualified for the semifinals.

The United States team consisted of the same lineup for all three games: goalkeeper Jimmy Douglas of the New York Nationals, right back Alexander Wood of Detroit Holley Carburetor, outside left Bart McGee (NY Nationals), center back Raphael Tracey (St. Louis Ben Millers), left halfback Andy Auld (Providence Gold Bugs), inside left Tom Florie (the captain, New Bedford Whalers), center forward Bert Patenaude (Fall River Marksmen), inside right Billy Gonsalves (Fall River Marksmen), and outside right James Brown (NY Giants). George Moorehouse played both fullback and wing forward. He played in the original American Soccer League from 1923-1931, mostly for the New York Giants. Jimmy Gallagher played both wing half and wing forward. He also played for the original American Soccer League, from 1921-1931, for several different teams. Montevideo, July 26th, 1930. Exceptional view of the match between the US and Argentina disputed at the Centenario Stadium. US Goalkeeper Jimmy Douglas is recovering the ball with George Moorehouse (we believe) next to him.

The US stunned Belgium in their opening match, winning 3-0. The first goal was scored by Bart McGhee in the 40th minute off a rebound from the crossbar after a Gonsalves shot. There is some dispute as to whether this was actually the first goal of this first World Cup tournament. FIFA had determined some years later that the first goal was actually scored by Lucien Laurent of France. McGhee followed this with another goal just before halftime when Belgium paused, waiting for an offside whistle, leaving McGhee open in front of the net. Florie got the final goal in the second half. Four days later, the US shut out Paragray 3-0. Their successful run came to a sudden end in the semifinals, when Argentina knocked out the Americans decisively in a 6-1 thrashing. This game was complicated by the US goalkeeper twisting his ankle early in the game, forcing him to play the final 80 minutes practically on one leg, and a serious leg injury suffered by midfielder Tracey, leaving the US with ten men for the second half. The US prevented a shutout with a goal by Brown in the 89th minute.

Ultimately, Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2 for the trophy. Despite the disappointing end, this was still a great run for the Americans in their first World Cup, one that would remain unequaled until it's historic performance in 2002. Group 4 saw the USA produce the best results they would see in a World Cup in the century, as they the won the group after a pair of 3-0 wins over Belgium and Paraguay. Information from Dave Litterer at American Soccer History Archives Pictures graciously provided by the 1930 World Cup Football Museum. Back to Soccer Ball World's History of the Soccer Ball Uruguay 1930: World Cup Football Host Home > Events > Football > Football World Cup > Hosts > Uruguay Uruguay, 1930 In 1930, The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) held soccer's first World Cup tournament in Montevideo, Uruguay. There were a total of 13 teams in the first world cup. Besides the host Uruguay , there were Argentina , Belgium , Brazil , Bolivia , Chile , France , Mexico , Paraguay , Peru , Romania , the United States and Yugoslavia .

Trivia The first two World Cup matches took place simultaneously, France defeated Mexico 4–1, and the United States beat Belgium 3–0. Both matches were played in Montevideo, Uruguay on 13 July 1930. France's captain in the first World Cup match, Alex Villaplane, was killed fifteen years later for alleged collaboration with the Nazis. Villaplane was shot dead by French resistance fighters in July 1945. A record that will surely never be beaten, the lowest recorded attendance for a match was 300 spectators for the match between Romania & Peru in Montevideo on 14 July 1930. The Romanian team in World Cup 1930 were selected by their King. The 'football-crazy' King Carol II of Romania personally selected the team, and asked the employers to grant each player a three-month leave with full pay. Uruguayan goalkeeper Antonio Mazzali returned home before kick-off of the 1930 finals as he had sneaked out from the hotel without permission. The Uruguayan team had been isolated in a Montevideo hotel for almost eight weeks before Mazzali sneaked out one night to visit his family.

Mazzali was a member of Uruguay's Olympic gold medal teams in 1924 and 1928, but he had never appeared in any World Cup finals. The match between Argentina and France on 15 July 1930 was terminated by the referee by mistake six minutes before time. The Brazilian referee Almeida Rego whistled to end the match at the 39th minute in the second half when Argentina was leading 1-0. He resumed the match half an hour later, but no goal was scored in the 'extra' time. The USA trainer had to be carried off unconscious during the 1930 Semi-Final against Argentina after he ran to the pitch to attend an injured player, dropped his medicine box, and broke a bottle of chloroform. When he tried to pick up the broken bottle, he took in the fumes and fell to the ground immediately. The injured player recovered without any treatment. The two semi-final matches saw identical 6-1 scores, as Argentina beat the US and Uruguay defeated Yugoslavia. Thousands of Argentinian supporters failed to attend the 1930 Final as their boats were delayed due to thick fog.

Eight of the ten chartered boats were unable to arrive in time for the Final, though fortunately the match referee was on the first boat that arrived. Uruguay and Argentina tossed up before the 1930 Final to choose the ball, as both teams wanted to use their own 'home-made' ball in the Final. Argentina won and their ball was used in the first half and the Uruguayan ball the second half. Hector Castro, who scored Uruguay's winning goal in the 1930 Final, had only one hand. He had lost one hand and part of his arm in a childhood accident. An unexpected consequence of Argentina's defeat in the 1930 Final was that the Argentinian president was overthrown several days after the Final. Argentinian president Irigoyen was overthrown in a military coup flamed by the deeply disappointed citizens. After winning the World Cup in 1930, the Uruguayan players were treated as national heroes, and each player was presented with a plot of land and a new house by the municipality of Montevideo.

World Cup Firsts BBC SPORT | WORLD CUP | History | Uruguay 1930 Thursday, 11 April, 2002, 08:59 GMT 09:59 UK Uruguay 1930 Uruguay line up for the inaugural World Cup final On 26 May 1928, at a meeting in Amsterdam, the Fifa congress decided that a new tournament open to all its members should be played. A year later in Barcelona it was agreed that Uruguay, the Olympic champions and the era's footballing superpower, should celebrate 100 years of independence by hosting the first World Cup. That they went on to win it made their celebrations complete. Only 13 nations took part in the inaugural tournament, with a majority of nine coming from South America. Uruguay celebrate after beating Argentina 4-2 England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales were all ineligible, having withdrawn from Fifa because of a dispute over payments to amateur players. However a number of British players did find their way into the team representing the United States, where professional football was being played. Europe's only representatives were Belgium, France, Yugoslavia and Romania.

The rest turned down invitations either in a fit of pique because the competition was not being staged in Europe or cited the three-week voyage to South America as prohibitive. Romania entered on the personal instructions of King Carol, who also selected the squad. He gave the players three months off from their jobs with guarantees that they would be re-employed. All games were played in three stadiums in Montevideo and, as expected, the South American countries dominated, although the European teams did not disgrace themselves. Lucien Laurent had the honour of scoring the first ever World Cup goal as France won their opening game against Mexico 4-1. They were then unlucky to be beaten 1-0 in an epic match against Argentina. The referee blew the final whistle six minutes early, realised his mistake and then had to call the players, some of whom were already in the bath, back to finish the game. Skilful Argentines The semi-finals were both one-sided affairs. The United States, who had beaten Belgium and Paraguay, faced Argentina, who followed victory over France with rather easier defeats of Mexico and Chile.

But the hefty Americans, nicknamed "the shot-putters" by the French, were no match for the more skilful Argentines who turned a 1-0 interval lead into a 6-1 triumph. In the other match, Uruguay went behind to a fourth-minute goal against Yugoslavia but went on to beat them by an identical score. Some 100,000 fans packed into the Centenario Stadium for the final on 30 July to see Argentina throw away a 2-1 half-time lead as Uruguay ran out 4-2 winners. Jules Rimet, the Fifa president and brains behind the World Cup, presented the trophy to winning captain Jose Nazassi and football's greatest tournament was born. After a pre-match row over which ball to use for the final, it is believed the Argentine ball was used in one half and the Uruguayan ball in the other. Rumour has it that this is how the phrase "a game of two halves" evolved.

Group 1 results: 1930 World Cup: Uruguay welcomes the soccer world - CBC Sports - Soccer 1930 World Cup: Uruguay welcomes the soccer world Uruguay defeated South American rivals Argentina in the final of the inaugural World Cup By John F. Molinaro, CBC Sports Posted: Nov 21, 2009 9:24 AM ET Last Updated: Nov 26, 2009 9:53 AM ET Download Flash Player to view this content. Over 200 nations from around the globe spent more than two years playing in close to 900 matches in order to become one of the 32 teams to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. How times have changed.

Number of participating teams: 13 Top scorer: Argentina's Guillermo Stabile (8 goals) Number of games: 18 Average goals per game: 3.89 Highest scoring game: Argentina's 6-3 win over Mexico on July 19 Total attendance: 434,500 Average attendance: 24,139 The inaugural World Cup, held in Uruguay in 1930, is the only competition in which teams did not have to qualify - instead, 13 nations were invited to participate. Unlike today when countries fight and scrap just to earn a World Cup berth, the first tournament was seen as a nuisance by a handful of nations. A ROUGH START That the 1930 World Cup was even awarded to South America in the first place did not sit well with Europe. The other four countries, aside from Uruguay, that aspired to host the inaugural competition - Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden - thumbed their noses at FIFA and decided not to participate. Austria, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland and Czechoslovakia all took a pass. Belgium, Romania, Yugoslavia and France originally said yes, but then backed out.

Although Uruguay offered to pay all travel and hotel expenses for the visiting teams, the prospect of making the long boat ride, a three-week journey in those days, dissuaded the Europeans from coming. Two months before the scheduled start of the World Cup, not a single European nation was committed to playing. The soccer federations of all the Latin American nations were beside themselves, and threatened to pull out of FIFA. MATCH OF THE TOURNAMENT: Uruguay's 4-2 victory over Argentina in the final. Down 2-1 at halftime and buoyed by the sea of rabid fans packed into Montevideo's Centenario stadium, Uruguay came alive in the final 45 minutes to defeat its South American rival. MAN OF THE TOURNAMENT: Guillermo Stabile. Nicknamed El Enfiltrador - The Infiltrator, Stabile sat out the first game and was only called into duty in Argentina's second contest when a teammate could not play. The Argentine ace went on to bag eight goals in four matches - including a hat trick against Mexico - to finish as the top scorer in the tournament.

SPOTLIGHT: The first goal in World Cup history was scored by Lucien Laurent in the 19th minute of France's 4-1 win over Mexico on July 13. Laurent was playing in the French first division when he was called into service to fight in World War II. He was taken prisoner by the Germans and spent three years as a POW before being released in 1943. He returned home and played three more years before retiring from the game. Laurent, the only surviving member of the 1930 French team to see France win the 1998 World Cup on home soil, died April 11, 2005 in Besançon. He was 97. AND ANOTHER THING: The entire tournament was played in one city - Montevideo - and only three stadiums were used to host all 18 games: Centenario (built specifically for the World Cup), Pocitos and Parque Central. Centenario was not completed in time for the start of the World Cup - three months of rain slowed things down.

Five days into the tournament, construction on Centenario was completed and Uruguay christened the new stadium by defeating Peru 1-0 in its opening match. Centenario could hold approximately 100,000 spectators, but attendance for the Uruguay-Argentina final was held back to 90,000. The largest crowd of the tournament was 93,000 for Uruguay's 6-1 win over Yugoslavia in the semifinals. Finally, FIFA president Jules Rimet stepped in and exerted some pressure. Belgium, Romania, Yugoslavia and France all did an about-face and decided to participate, after all. The four European teams set sail together from Villefranche-Sur-Mer, a small town on the French Riviera, on June 21, 1930 - stopping in Rio de Janeiro to pick up the Brazil team - before finally arriving in Montevideo on July 4. The 13 teams were divided into four groups: Pool 1 consisted of Argentina, Chile, France and Mexico; Pool 2 saw Yugoslavia grouped with Brazil and Bolivia; Uruguay competed in Group 3 alongside Romania and Peru, while Pool 4 was made up of the U.S., Belgium and Paraguay.

The four pool winners would advance directly to the semifinals. France and Mexico played in the first-ever World Cup game on July 13, with the French emerging 4-1 winners. Uruguay and Argentina, finalists in the gold-medal game at the Amsterdam Olympics two years earlier, were the pre-tournament favourites and it was hardly a surprise when they easily topped their groups. Yugoslavia and the United States won both of their first-round games en route to winning their respective pools and advancing to the final four. The semifinals saw Argentina thrash the United States 6-1, and Uruguay won by the same score against Yugoslavia. THE FINAL The day before the final, thousands of fans in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aries made the trip across the River Plate by boat to see their heroes try and vanquish Uruguay in the all-South American final. A crowd of 90,000 spectators jammed into Montevideo's magnificent Centenario stadium for the electric matchup on July 30. Comically, the game was delayed when both teams insisted on using a ball of their own choice.

Pablo Dorado put the home side up after only 12 minutes, but Carlos Peucelle equalized eight minutes later for Argentina when he beat Uruguay goalkeeper Enrique Ballesteros with a powerful shot. The visitors took a 2-1 lead before half-time when Guillermo Stabile, the tournament's top scorer, found the back of the net. Uruguay captain Jose Nasazzi protested that Stabile was offside, but Belgian referee Jean Langenus let the goal stand. The second half was all Uruguay. Pedro Cea went on a scintillating run and drew Uruguay even with his goal in the 57th minute. Santos Iriarte made it 3-2 in the 68th minute, and Hector Castro sealed the result with his second goal of the tournament in the final minutes, scoring on a header off a cross from Dorado. After the match, Jules Rimet presented the World Cup trophy - 35 centimetres in height, made of gold and weighing 3.8 kilograms - to Nazassi, setting off celebrations in Montevideo that lasted for several days.

Uruguay was crowned world champion, and the World Cup was well on its way to becoming the biggest sporting event in the world. FOOD FOR THOUGHT The 1930 World Cup is one of only two tournaments that did not stage a third-place game. The 1950 competition in Brazil is the other. Argentina's Francisco Varallo is the last survivor of the first World Cup final. Born Feb. 5, 1910, the former Argentine striker has outlived all 21 other players from the 1930 final. Bertram Patenaude of the U.S. is recognized by FIFA as having netted the first hat trick in World Cup history, scoring all three goals in a 3-0 win over Paraguay on July 17. However, some historians say Argentina's Guillermo Stabile was the first to do it, with three goals two days later against Mexico. Some match reports list Patenaude's second goal against Paraguay as credited to Thomas Florie. Only 300 fans attended Romania's 3-1 win over Peru on July 14 in the first round, the lowest recorded attendance for a single game in World Cup history.

Brazilian referee Almeida Rego mistakenly stopped the July 15 game between France and Argentina when he blew the final whistle six minutes too early. After fierce protests from the French players, he realized his error and re-started the match. Argentina, leading 1-0 before Rego's mistake, held on for the win. Romania only agreed to play in the World Cup after King Carol gave the players time off from their work so they could compete and guaranteed that their jobs would be waiting for them upon their return from Uruguay. The day after the 1930 final, July 31, was declared a national holiday in Uruguay. Peruvian Mario de Las Casas has the distinction of being the first player in World Cup history to be expelled. He was sent off in Peru's 3-1 loss to Romania in the first round. The first goal scored on a penalty shot in the World Cup was by Manuel Rosas of Mexico. He beat Argentine goalkeeper Angelo Bossio. The draw for the 1930 World Cup did not take place until the teams arrived in Uruguay just days before the tournament began.

July 13, 1930 : First World Cup Introduction On July 13, 1930, France defeats Mexico 4-1 and the United States defeats Belgium 3-0 in the first-ever World Cup football matches, played simultaneously in host city Montevideo, Uruguay. The World Cup has since become the world’s most watched sporting event. After football (soccer, to Americans) was dropped from the program for the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, FIFA President Jules Rimet helped to organize an international tournament in 1930. Much to the dismay of European footballers, Uruguay, winner of back-to-back gold medals at the 1924 Paris Olympics and 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, was chosen to host the inaugural World Cup. Due to depression in Europe, many European players, afraid their day jobs would not exist when they returned, were either unable or unwilling to attend the tournament. As a result, some of the most accomplished European teams, including three-time Olympic gold medalist England and football enthusiasts Italy, Spain, Germany and Holland did not make an appearance at the first World Cup.

However, when Uruguay agreed to help pay traveling expenses, Rimet was able to convince Belgium, France, Romania and Yugoslavia to make the trip. In Romania, King Carol selected the team members himself, gave them a three-month vacation from their jobs and guaranteed the players would be employed when they returned. Going into the tournament, Uruguay and Argentina were the overwhelming favorites, while France and the United States also fielded competitive sides. In the first round, France’s Lucien Laurent scored the first-ever World Cup goal. In its second game, France lost to Argentina 1-0 amid controversy over the referees ending the game six minutes early. Once the problem was discovered, the referees had to bring the Argentine players back onto the field to play the final minutes. After beating Belgium, the United States beat Paraguay to set up a semi-final match with Argentina, which they lost 6-1. Still, the semi-final placement was the best U.S. World Cup finish to date. In the first World Cup final, held on July 30, 1930, 93,000 spectators looked on as Uruguay defeated Argentina 4–2 in a rematch of the 1928 Olympic gold medal game.

Uruguay went on to win its second World Cup in 1950 with a 2-1 win over Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. Article Details: July 13, 1930 : First World Cup Author July 13, 1930 : First World Cup URL Uruguay Defeats Argentina to Win First FIFA World Cup | World History Project Jul 30 1930 Uruguay Defeats Argentina to Win First FIFA World Cup The 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural edition of the world championship for international association football teams – the FIFA World Cup. It was played in Uruguay from 13 July to 30 July. Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) selected Uruguay as host nation as the country would be celebrating the centenary of its independence, and the Uruguay national football team had successfully retained their football title at the 1928 Summer Olympics. All matches were played in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo, the majority at the Estadio Centenario, which was built for the tournament. Thirteen teams, seven from South America, four from Europe and two from North America entered the tournament.

Few European teams chose to participate due to the duration and cost of travel. The teams were divided into four groups, with the winner of each group progressing to the semi-finals. The first two World Cup matches took place simultaneously, and were won by France and the USA, who defeated Mexico 4–1 and Belgium 3–0, respectively. Lucien Laurent of France scored the first goal in World Cup history. Argentina, Uruguay, the USA and Yugoslavia each won their respective groups to qualify for the semi-finals. In the final, hosts and pre-tournament favourites Uruguay defeated Argentina 4–2 in front of a crowd of 93,000 people, and became the first nation to win a World Cup.

Question: Who were Uruguay's opponents in the first World Cup final in 1930?
Answer: ARGENTINA